Project Information Document (Concept Stage)
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The World Bank Bhutan Green Transport Project (P171012) Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Project Information Document (PID) Concept Stage | Date Prepared/Updated: 19-Sep-2019 | Report No: PIDC27250 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Jun 05, 2019 Page 1 of 13 The World Bank Bhutan Green Transport Project (P171012) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data OPS TABLE Country Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Project Name Bhutan P171012 Bhutan Green Transport Project (P171012) Region Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Practice Area (Lead) SOUTH ASIA Oct 30, 2020 May 31, 2021 Transport Financing Instrument Borrower(s) Implementing Agency Investment Project Financing Ministry of Finance. Thimphu Thromde Government of Royal Bhutan Proposed Development Objective(s) The Development Objective of the Project is to improve access to opportunities for the residents of Thimphu City, and provide reliable, safe, and green urban mobility options to them along the North-South Axis of Thimphu City, as well as, the City Center. PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions) SUMMARY-NewFin1 Total Project Cost 29.69 Total Financing 29.69 of which IBRD/IDA 5.00 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS-NewFinEnh1 World Bank Group Financing International Development Association (IDA) 5.00 IDA Credit 5.00 Non-World Bank Group Financing Trust Funds 24.69 Green Climate Fund 23.53 Jun 05, 2019 Page 2 of 13 The World Bank Bhutan Green Transport Project (P171012) Korea WB Partnership Facility 1.17 Environmental and Social Risk Classification Concept Review Decision Substantial Track I-The review did authorize the preparation to continue Jun 05, 2019 Page 3 of 13 The World Bank Bhutan Green Transport Project (P171012) Note to Task Teams: End of system generated content, document is editable from here. Please delete this note when finalizing the document. Other Decision (as needed) B. Introduction and Context Country Context Bhutan is a small, landlocked country, nestled deep in the eastern Himalayas between India and China. Within a distance of just 100-150 km, land rises from about 150 meters above the sea level in the South to over 7,000 meters in the North. The population of about 735,000 is scattered across steep mountain slopes and valleys, including many in remote and far-flung hamlets. This makes Bhutan one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, ranked 182 out of 215 countries. Nearly half the land is protected area to help preserve biodiversity. With forest coverage exceeding 70 percent, Bhutan is the only carbon negative country in the world, i.e., the country absorbs more greenhouse gas emission than it produces. Bhutan’s unique development philosophy – Gross National Happiness (GNH) – guides its development plans, under a holistic, responsible and inclusive approach to sustainable development. Bhutan’s political transition from an absolute monarchy to a democratic, constitutional monarchy in 2008 was successful. Bhutanese enjoy low corruption and peace: the country ranks 25 out of 180 countries in the 2018 Corruption Perception Index and 19 out of 163 countries in the 2018 Global Peace Index. Bhutan’s geography is ideal for hydropower development and hence electric mobility due to the electrical energy surplus. Abundant water resources, -among the top five in the world by per capita water availability-, and the rugged mountains create ideal conditions for hydropower generation, a clean and renewable source of energy. The topography and extreme altitude variations, while ideal for hydropower generation, limit connectivity and thus access to services, markets and jobs especially in remote areas, and increase vulnerability to disasters and climate change. Sparse population settlement patterns and geography make it extremely difficult and costly to expand service delivery in remote areas, raising questions about how to ensure further improvements in services in a sustainable way. Poverty varies widely across districts and is concentrated in rural, remote areas where access to services and jobs is low. The Himalayan mountains are also at substantial risk of climate change, and more extreme weather variations lead to fluctuations in hydropower, the main driver of growth, and affect agricultural production, the main source of livelihoods. Bhutan is situated in one of the most seismically active global zones and is thus prone to earthquakes and other natural disasters such as landslides, floods and outbursts of glacial lakes. Sectoral and Institutional Context Despite a relatively small national population, Bhutan’s urban areas are undergoing a significant transition. Between 1990 and 2010, the number of Bhutanese living in urban areas nearly tripled. Subsequently, the urban population has been increasing over time from 196,111 persons (30.9 percent) in 2005 to 274,967 persons (37.8 percent) according to 2017 Population & Housing Census of Bhutan. Presently, there are four major urban centers in Bhutan, namely, Thimphu, Phuentsholing, Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar (S/Jongkhar). The capital city, Thimphu with 127,864 population is the May 28, 2019 Page 4 The World Bank Bhutan Green Transport Project (P171012) largest urban center in Bhutan and accounts for 17percent of Bhutan’s overall population or 41percent of Bhutan’s total urban population. Bhutan has also experienced rapid growth in private vehicles over the last decade. Over the last decade, the number of vehicles has been increasing at roughly 9-10 percent per annum. As of June 2018, there are over 96,307 registered vehicles in Bhutan. Roughly 1 percent of these are public passenger buses. Taxis and personalized vehicles are currently meeting most of the travel needs for Bhutan’s population. The key drivers for the increase in motor vehicles are economic growth resulting in better financial positions of households, improvement of road network (within the country), and inadequate levels of public transport. Within urban areas 16 percent of the population uses public transport (bus or taxi) for commuting every day. The current modal spit of urban transport in Thimphu reflects a constrained supply of public bus services. In 2015, a survey of 1,000-household was conducted in Thimphu to understand the resident’s transport preferences and travel behaviors. Roughly 30 percent of non-bus users reported that long and irregular waiting times for buses was the primary reason for their choice of alternative modes. A further 30 percent of non-users reported that they did not use buses because the route was too indirect, or the stop was too far from their origin or destination. In contrast, approximately 77percent of regular taxi users who responded to the Bank’s household survey on travel behaviors cited that the primary reason that they use taxis is because they are “quick and convenient.” It is important to note that taxi fares are roughly 2- 3 times average bus fares (depending on distance). Persons with impaired mobility can often pay much more than this as well when they cannot share rides or require pickup from their homes. This creates an affordability issue for lower income households. Roughly 46 percent of respondents to the Bank’s survey who do not use taxis cited affordability as a key concern. In contrast, 76 percent of regular city bus users cited the affordability of bus fares as a primary reason for their choice of mode. Within Thimphu most development is centered around a prominent North-South road corridor (Babesa to Dechencholing). The current urban public transport network reflects this with the primary bus corridor running along Barbesa Expressway (Southern part of the red line in the figure presented in annex 1). This road was built without any associated footpaths or facilities for bus stops but now forms the backbone of Thimphu’s road network. In recent years, new property developments have occurred on the northern and southern outskirts of the city which has created additional demand for North-South trips. Within the city, the road network features five parallel streets; Dechhen Lam, Chhogyal Lam, Norzin Lam, Doebum Lam, and Rabten Lam. Within the city center, many of streets are becoming congested. In particular, Norzin Lam is Thimphu's main artery within the city center and is lined with local craft shops and stalls, as well as, larger shopping centers. The public bus transport system needs considerable improvement. Public transport and para-transit services in Thimphu are varied, and of variable quality, and include the following: (i) urban public buses provided by City Bus Services; (ii) bus services offered by individual schools; (ii) employer-specific buses (government and private); and (iii) taxis that operate both individual passenger services and shared ride services as market conditions warrant. RGoB’s efforts to provide a public bus transport system began with the development of a City Bus Service in 1999 with a fleet of two buses. This fleet has now grown to 52 buses (in Thimphu and Phuentsholing). The bus service in Thimphu presently operate on 12 routes (and on a single route in Phuentsholing). The average age of the bus fleet at 7+ years and the fuel efficiency of these buses at 4 km/ liter. The public sector operator for the bus service is ‘City Bus Service’ (an arm of Bhutan Postal Corporation, a state-owned enterprise). The annual ridership of bus transport service in Thimphu and Phuentsholing was 940,000 and 114,795 in 2015 respectively. There is also a fleet of six buses operated by private bus operators which ply on select routes in Thimphu. The number of buses per 10,000 population in Thimphu is around 4. For lower income households with fewer travel options, the absence of a reliable, affordable and reasonable quality public transport option (like a priority bus service) constrains their access to economic opportunity and social services. May 28, 2019 Page 5 The World Bank Bhutan Green Transport Project (P171012) The RGoB has set out its policy for urban transport in a guiding document known as “Bhutan Transport 2040 Integrated Strategic Vision”.